Not all audiences are the same – Playlist

Mon 3 Jun 2013

Last season we proved that not all audiences are the same and with the last concert of the season taking place tonight, we put together a playlist to find out what tracks our audience and Orchestra love to listen to. Enjoy.

Feisty Females: Part 6 – Cleopatra

Wed 15 May 2013

Who was she? Cleopatra was the last Pharaoh of Egypt. Unlike the rest of the feisty females we’ve featured in this series, she was a real historical figure but has reached an almost legendary status due to her accomplishments and the other famous rulers with whom she associated.

Celebrating 200 years of the Royal Philharmonic Society

Thu 7 Mar 2013

Our concert this Friday marks, to the day, the 200th anniversary of the first concert given by the Philharmonic Society of London (later the Royal Philharmonic Society) which was set up in 1813 by a group of professional musicians with the aim “to promote the performance, in the most perfect manner possible, of the best and most approved instrumental music”.

Mozart – Making Ennui Epic

Mon 25 Feb 2013

In Curtain Raisers and High Drama on 8 March, Marin Alsop joins us for an evening of hugely evocative music written for the female voice. Among works by Weber, Beethoven and Schumann, there’s also a chance to hear Elettra’s heart wrenching lament O smania! O furie!… from Mozart’s Idomeneo, an aria so powerful, you might argue it could make anything feel dramatic.

Queens, Heroines and Ladykillers: in conversation

Wed 20 Feb 2013

As part of our Queens, Heroines and Ladykillers podcast, we chatted to conductor Marin Alsop and soprano singer Emma Bell about their experiences with the OAE, including why singing certain arias can be like taking part in The Great British Bake Off…

Feisty Females: Part 5

Tue 12 Feb 2013

After a bit of a break, our Queens, Heroines and Ladykillers series returns on 8 March at the Queen Elizabeth Hall when Emma Bell sings a whole host of arias written for the female voice, including an aria from Mozart’s Idomeneo featuring the famous ladykiller, Elektra. Here’s a bit about her…

Who was she?

Elektra was the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra and her siblings were Orestes and Iphigenia. It was not the most happy of families – her dad killed her sister and in retaliation her mum killed her dad so Elektra combined forces with her brother to kill her mum. (Greek myths had a body count worse than an episode of Game of Thrones.)

What was she famous for?

Elektra is most famous for helping her brother to kill their mother. This murder inspired plays by all three great Greek tragedians and modern writers such as Eugene O’Neill and Jean-Paul Sartre.

She features in famous operas by Mozart and Richard Strauss, partly inspired Marina and the Diamonds’ second album and even has a psychological complex named after her.

Of course there was that really bad film about an assassin too.

Was she a queen, heroine or ladykiller?

Elektra is best known for being a killer (both as a lady who killed and for killing a lady) but she was the daughter of a queen (whom she killed) so could be seen as a queen as well.

Who will be singing Elektra and when?

Emma Bell will be singing Elettra from Mozart’s Idomeneo on 8 March 2013 in Queens, Heroines and Ladykillers: Curtain raisers and high dramaat the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

V4: The Seasons in depth

Sat 2 Feb 2013

With our twist on Vivaldi’s legendary The Four Seasons coming up in less than a week, we went along to the rehearsals to chat to choreographer Henri Oguike, OAE violinist Kati Debretzeni and dancer Rhiannon Morgan, who told us more about how the collaboration came together.

Full information and booking for the Southbank Centre event can be found here.

Sir Simon Rattle and the OAE

Mon 28 Jan 2013

Music journalist Andrew Mellor wrote a lovely article a while back about our relationship with Sir Simon Rattle, so we thought it was the perfect time to share it with you, just before we perform with the maestro himself tomorrow night at the Royal Festival Hall…

V4: The Seasons: OAE & Vivaldi & Henri Oguike

Wed 16 Jan 2013

On 8 February at the Southbank Centre, we’ll be giving Vivaldi’s legendary The Four Seasons a fresh twist, in a major new collaboration with renowned choreographer Henri Oguike and OAE leader Kati Debretzeni, fusing authentic performance with contemporary choreography.

Sounds intriguing? Well here’s a taster of what you can expect to see…

Creation reviews

Mon 14 Jan 2013

Last week, we blew the Christmas cobwebs away and welcomed in the new year with our first concert of 2013, featuring conductor Adam Fischer and three top soloists in a performance of Haydn’s masterpiece, Creation.

Choreography, cake & collaborations: why you should come to an Insight Club

Wed 2 Jan 2013

Have you stared longingly at our OAE Extras Pre-concert event series listing, and been gutted that you can’t make it along because a) you can’t get to the Southbank Centre by 5.45 because you have a full time job, or b) because in your hectic life it’s the choice between dinner before the concert and a bit of light learning, and quite frankly dinner always wins out?

Well, here’s your bit of New Year Luck. The OAE runs a series of Insight Clubs, which we have helpfully scheduled at the weekend, so you won’t be fighting against your dinner to come along. The sessions are longer, and we like to describe them as rather like a book club. Interaction and discussion between the audience and the speakers is encouraged!

On Sunday 13 January, we’ll be meeting Henri Oguike the brains (and feet) behind our choreographed version of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons that will take place in February. Henri will be joined by Dr Melissa Bianco Borelli, a lecturer in dance studies at the University of Surrey. The two of them will discuss the forthcoming collaboration – Henri’s approach to creating a work, the planning, the rehearsals, selecting the dancers, and how he anticipates working with the musicians. Hearing from the personality involved directly at the heart of the project brings an aspect of understanding and insight (hence the name of the event) far beyond what you may read in a concert programme.

Do come along and be part of the discussion. You even get a complimentary drink and a slice of cake to boot…

Messiah: audience reaction

Mon 17 Dec 2012

We finished our last concert of 2012 with a suitably festive performance of Messiah at the Royal Festival Hall on 11 December. Afterwards, we chatted to some of the audience to find out what they thought of the concert. Here’s what they had to say- including rocking basses, lifts and a bit of good old-fashioned Christmas spirit…